Quinn calls for paid sick days for workers

Saturday

Feb 1, 2014 at 9:30 PM

When Gov. Pat Quinn delivered his State of the State speech last week he touched on several populist themes, including increasing the minimum wage. Then Quinn added another item. He said workers should get at least two paid sick days a year.

By Doug FinkeState Capitol Bureau

When Gov. Pat Quinn delivered his State of the State speech last week he touched on several populist themes.

They appeared on a written copy of his speech under the heading of “fairness.”

He renewed his call for an increase in the state’s minimum wage to “at least” $10 an hour. It was a something he’s been pressing for some time.

He also called for doubling the earned income tax credit for low-income workers over a five year period. Quinn has long been a champion of the tax credit and signed a bill two years ago to double the credit to its current level.

Then Quinn added another item. He said workers should get at least two paid sick days a year.

“That was the first I’d heard of that (from Quinn),” said Doug Whitley, president of Illinois Chamber of Commerce, shortly after the speech.

Nonetheless, Quinn said it was time for the state to ensure that workers get at least some paid sick leave. In his speech, Quinn said 43 percent of all workers in Illinois, about 2.5 million people, have no right to earned sick days.

Quinn said employers should be required to provide at least two paid sick days to their employees.

“We need to help our workers, especially our single parents, avoid that awful choice — dragging themselves from a sick bed to work or losing a day’s pay or even their job,” Quinn said. “This, too, is about dignity and decency. Let’s get this job done for our working families.”

Quinn’s office later released some of the arguments in favor of the mandatory sick leave. These included that ill workers would regain their health and return to full productivity faster, that ill workers who stayed at home would not infect co-workers and further increase absentee costs, and that it would reduce turnover and retraining costs.

If Illinois adopted the law, it would be only the second state to do so. Connecticut is the only other state to adopt the measure, although some large cities, including New York City, have done it.

Business groups aren’t wild about the idea.

The National Federation of Independent Business represents businesses of 50 or fewer employees.

“We are opposed to any kind of mandate like that from the government telling small-business owners that they have to provide certain types of benefits,” said Kim Maisch, state director of the organization. “We believe that should be left at the workplace between employers and employees to determine what they want and need.”

She said some employers offer leave, both paid and unpaid, to their employees. She said leave programs are particularly hard on small employers who do not have a lot of flexibility in their workforces.

Maisch said she does not believe paid sick leave is common among members of her organization.

The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association said it would oppose the bill even though its members mostly provide paid sick leave to their employees.

“We don’t think government should necessarily be mandating what a private employer does with benefits,” said Mark Denzler, vice president and chief operating officer of the association. “You also get the situation where you start with two days and next year their going to want five days and 10 days.”

Two bills have been introduced this year that deal with paid sick time. House Bill 4420 and Senate Bill 2789 both call for workers to earn one hour of paid sick time for each 40 hours worked. However, workers would be entitled to a minimum of two paid sick days a year. The bills apply only to businesses with 20 or more workers.

Quinn’s office said he supports those bills.

There have been at least three bills since 2010 calling for mandatory paid sick time. However, they all provided for as many as seven days per year.